MARCH MADNESS!!
The tournament season started a few days early around here. In addition to Josie's team finishing 3rd in their conference,
Jay's team started post season play on the last two days of February.
I missed Friday night's game. I had better things to do. My sister, Katie and our friend Lucia have put out a book.
I know, can you believe anyone would have such bad timing? Who ever heard of planning something to take place once tournament time has started?
Sometimes I have to remind myself that not everyone gets infected by the madness like we do around here. We think that New Year's shouldn't be celebrated until the song "One Shining Moment" has been played at the end of the Final Four Championship game. My son actually dumped a girl once because she couldn't understand why he had to go to
so many games. Can you believe it? It's not like he forced her to go with him. Soon our kitchen walls will be covered with brackets. It's a surer sign of impending spring than a whole flock of robins.
But it was only the first round of the tourney and
Bad Catholic Mothers is a really funny book.
The party was at Lucia's house. About thirty or forty people came to the party and it was a lot of fun. There were tables full of food and beverages, Lucia, Katie and the book's art director, Fran were all there to sign copies and around 8:00, Katie and Lucia each did a reading. During the Q&A after, some folks wanted to know when Katie and Lucia were taking their stand up act on the road. I'm telling you, it's a funny book.
Later on, when I asked my kids how the game had gone, they simply said "Lots of dunks." We won by a sizable margin.
Saturday night I was able to make the game. The tourney is always fun. Tons of fans from all over the state fill the place up. One section is always packed with Pivecs. My favorite thing is seeing all the former players who come back to cheer on the program.
This year's team is not the first of Jay's to be ranked tops in the nation. It is one of the most entertaining of his teams to watch. They just look like they're really having a lot of fun together. On Saturday they won by about 12, which seemed like a very close game to me.
My comfort zone is 30 points, with two minutes to go. People think I'm kidding when I say that, but I've seen way too much basketball to think that ten pts with ten minutes left means anything. I've seen teams with a 23pt lead at the half lose, I've seen teams score 10 points in the last three seconds of play. I'm telling you; 30 points and 120 seconds. That's when I relax.
Sunday's game was a good one. Not a blow out, like Friday's had been but not quite as close as Saturday's, either. Our guys looked really good, were hitting on all cylinders and enjoying themselves. We were up by about 17 in the first half.
"I hope they don't get too far ahead," my Mom said. My Dad and I stared at her as though she had vomited cherry pits.
"I do." I said. "I hope they get
way too far ahead!"
"I just don't want them to relax in the second half," she explained.
During the second half, our opponents closed to within seven points. Dad turned to Mom and said "Is it okay if they get too far ahead NOW?"
"Yes." she said. "Now would be good."
The Mavericks didn't get
too far ahead but they did win by 24. That's Jay's 7th State Championship, I think. We are now 29-1, which is our best record yet.
We host the Region 13 tourney next weekend. The top three finishers from Minnesota and the Wisconsin champs will duke it out for a chance to go to the National tournament in New York state.
I'll be nervous all week.
